Room: Analysis of Major Characters
"Room: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate lives of characters trapped in a harrowing situation, focusing on themes of captivity, resilience, and the quest for freedom. Central to the narrative is Jack, a five-year-old boy born in confinement, who perceives the world through the limited lens of his 11' x 11' shed, known as "Room." His unique speech reflects innocence and creativity, as he names objects literally, creating a sense of wonder despite his grim reality. Ma, Jack's mother, is a survivor of horrific circumstances, struggling with the trauma of her kidnapping and her role as a protective parent. Their captor, Old Nick, embodies the threat and evil of their situation, while other significant characters, like Grandma and Doctor Clay, represent support systems in the aftermath of their escape. The narrative reveals the complexities of re-integrating into society, as Jack experiences both the joys and challenges of freedom, highlighting the contrasting dangers of life outside "Room." This in-depth character analysis serves as a poignant examination of human endurance against extreme adversity, inviting readers to reflect on themes of love, trauma, and the indomitable spirit of survival.
Room: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Emma Donoghue
First published: 2010
Genre: Novel
Locale: Unspecified
Plot: Drama
Time: Exact time unspecified, but current
Jack, is a five-year-old boy who is a captive along with Ma, his mother, in an 11' x 11' shed behind the house of a man who kidnapped the woman when she was 19. Jack was born in captivity and knows nothing beyond the confines of “Room” and what appears on television. Jack has very little clothing and no shoes, he has never had a haircut (he later is mistaken for a girl), and, despite being of kindergarten age, still regularly breastfeeds although he also eats solid food. Jack speaks in an odd diction, calling objects by their exact names sans articles, as if they were people's names because mostly there is only one such item in “Room,” e.g., Chair, Toothbrush (not “the” chair, etc.). Jack's baby talk is symbolic of his innocence, since neither his mother nor the people on TV speak in such a manner there is no logical reason for Jack to do so. Regardless of the simplicity of his speech, Jack is intelligent; he can count (he counts on his teeth) and can read. Despite the hardships of confinement, Jack is fully content and it is not until his escape and exposure to the outside world that any harm befalls him. He escapes after Ma tells their captor that Jack has been sick and died. Jack is rolled up in a rug and plays dead. When the man goes to dispose of his body, Jack runs off and is helped by a passerby walking his dog who calls the police.
Ma, is Jack's mother. She is 26 years old and has been held captive as a sex slave for seven years. She was abducted at 19 while attending college by a man who lured her into his pickup truck by asking for assistance with an alleged sick dog. Ma was impregnated prior to Jack and gave birth to a girl who was dead. Her captor buried the fetus in his backyard near the shed. She hides Jack in the wardrobe whenever her captor, referred to only as Old Nick (a pseudonym for Satan), visits for the purpose of bringing supplies and having sex. After she was kidnapped and confined, Ma tried to escape by hitting Old Nick with the heavy cover of the toilet tank and cutting him, but he disarmed her and kicked the door shut. The door has a push-button combination mechanism that locks automatically when closed. Ma also attempted to dig a tunnel under the floor, but Old Nick placed fencing beneath the shed so escaping by digging under the structure is impossible. She concocts an elaborate escape plan by telling Old Nick that Jack is very sick and later has died. Jack, playing possum, is rolled up in a rug and escapes when the man puts him in the bed of his pickup truck in order to dispose of the corpse. Following their escape, Ma and Jack are placed in Room 7 at the Cumberland Clinic, a hospital, where she attempts suicide by overdosing on her medication. She and Jack move to an apartment (6B) following her recovery.
Old Nick, the otherwise unidentified man who kidnaps and incarcerates Ma as a sex slave. He is white, approximately 40 years of age, and a loner. He lives at 349 Washington Drive. Neither the state nor the country is spec ified. He tells Ma that he has been unemployed for six months after being laid off for undisclosed reasons. Following Jack's escape and Ma's rescue, Old Nick is hunted down by the police, arrested, and jailed pending trial, where according to Ma's lawyer, Morris, he will be sentenced to life imprisonment on numerous charges.
Grandma, is Ma's mother. Her true name, like Ma's and Old Nick's, is never divulged. She is overweight and divorced from her husband, who relocated to Australia sometime during the seven-year period after their daughter disappeared and was presumed dead. Grandma now lives with and presumably is married to Leo, who is called “Steppa.” She tells Jack she is 59 years old. Following his mother's attempted overdose, Jack comes to live with Grandma and Steppa, who become surrogate parents and teach the boy about the outside world while his mother recovers from the effects of the overdose and the psychological trauma of her captivity. While under his grandparents' care, Jack experiences his first sunburn and bee sting—the normal minor traumas of a child's life. Ironically, Jack suffers more physical dangers outside of Room (he gets his first head cold while in the hospital) than when he was a captive.
Doctor Clay, is a physician at the Cumberland Clinic who, along with a nurse named Noreen, administers to Ma and Jack. He helps Ma get acclimated to the outside world and reclaim her health.
Uncle Paul, is Ma's brother. He is married to Deana, with whom he has a daughter, Bronwyn.
Morris, is a lawyer representing Ma and Jack in their case against Old Nick. He also acts as a buffer between Ma and the press during a TV interview as with well-meaning people sending donations and gifts to Ma and Jack through the mail.
Officer Oh, is a policewoman who is the first to respond to the call by Ajeet, the man whose dog (Raja) bites Jack after he escapes from the bed of Old Nick's truck. Officer Oh questions Jack and learns about Room and Ma's captivity. From the information Jack provides, she locates the shed where Ma is held and opens the door by shooting the lock with a shotgun.